Revenge is Bitter
by OwlGirl517
Summary: Samantha Zhang knows something is off at Camp Jupiter. So does her best friend, Ethan Jackson. Campers at Camp Jupiter claim to see campers from Camp Half Blood at their camp to attack them and vise versa. Only Samantha and Ethan know the truth, something or someone is playing with the campers' minds. Now it's up to them to stop both camps from destroying each other.
1. Chapter 1

Buzz around Camp Jupiter hasn't been this loud for years. There's word going around that their friends in Camp Half Blood are going to attack. A few skirmishes have already taken place on the outskirts of the Camp Jupiter territory, and the legionnaires are beginning to worry. Some are confused, some are angry, some are outright scared. The peace between the two camps has been going on for decades. So no one can understand… Why would Camp Half Blood ruin it? It doesn't make sense. Especially to one legacy in particular.

Samantha Zhang can't believe what she's hearing around camp. She knows it has to be a rumor. Her friends on the other side of the country would never hurt her camp. They couldn't. They wouldn't. But as much as Samantha wants to believe that Camp Half Blood won't attack them, the sheer amount of stories she's heard makes it difficult to believe. She needs to know for herself, from a trusted person at Camp Half Blood.

In her cabin, she searches everywhere for her stash of drachmas. She eventually finds one with her socks, and remembers hiding them there from Nicole, adopted daughter of Will and Nico di Angelo and one of her best friends. Samantha thinks about the person she wants to contact as she tries to create a rainbow. She hasn't seen him in person since she started camp in California, but they send Iris messages during the summer to keep in contact.

"Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering." She throws the drachma into the rainbow. When it disappears, she lets out a breath of relief. "Ethan Jackson, Camp Half Blood."

The image shimmers as Iris connects to Ethan, and it finally settles on the image of her best friend. Though he looks slightly shocked at seeing her after so much time, pleasant surprise arranges itself on Ethan's face.

"Sam, how are you doing? How's camp over in beautiful Cali?" Ethan greets with a smile on his face.

She's always heard everyone say how much he looks like his father. How similar their features were. But Ethan had a few differences from his father, and Sam could pick them out easily. The first was obvious, that his eyes were light gray, like his mother's. Though still a master of swordplay and games his father loves to compete in, he's really smart, which his father is always proud of. And finally, everyone says that he's just as short as his mother, but he doesn't care too much. There is nothing wrong with be just shy of five eight, according him.

Sam smiles, always happy to talk to Ethan again. "I'm doing alright. It's been too long! Things have been going on at camp, recently, though and I wanted to talk to you about it."

Ethan's smile fades just a little bit, and his eyebrows crease together, which Sam recognizes as his telltale sign of concern.

"Really? There's something going on over there too?" He asks her.

"Too? Well, there's rumors, and I hope they're just rumors, that Camp Half Blood is planning to attack Camp Jupiter," she tells him, her voice carrying her wariness. "Is that true?"

"No. But there's rumors over here saying that Camp Jupiter is going to attack us."

A look of shock crosses Sam's face as she tries to understand what must be going on between the camps.

"It's probably nothing." Ethan says, trying to get her to calm down. "There's probably some campers pulling a prank or something. A bad prank, but a prank. Our camps wouldn't go to war after decades of peace." His words sound almost like he's reassuring himself as much as he's reassuring her, but Sam takes the help where she can get it.

"Maybe," she says. "But isn't it a little weird that we both are hearing about attacks from each other's camps? There are campers here who swear on the River Styx that they've seen half-bloods in orange t-shirts crossing the borders."

"What? Impossible," Ethan tells her. "Everyone has been here, training. And it's not capture the flag day, so no one from Camp Half Blood should be there."

"I'm just relaying what people saw. Whether or not they're true is a different story."

The connection between them begins to fade.

"Find out more information. I'll do the same over here," Ethan quickly tells her, knowing their time is getting cut short. "We'll talk again tomorrow."

"Okay. I'll talk to you then."

"Bye S-"

The rainbow disappears along with the image of Ethan. Samantha sighs as the connection ends, wishing it hadn't. She loves talking to Ethan and... being across the country, it sucked. They're best friends, besides him and Oliver Grace, since they were in diapers. Sam couldn't imagine her life without him or the rest of her friend group, Nicole Solace di Angelo and Chase Valdez. Having all of her friends at Camp Half Blood made seeing them more fun and more special. But now, with the camps on the brink of war, she's on her own.

She needs to find out what's going on at camp, by herself. Sometimes she hates being the only Roman legacy out of everyone.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam hasn't figured out enough in the few days it's been since her Iris message with Ethan. She learned that the campers that had reported seeing the Camp Half Blood kids also admitted into the infirmary with headaches in the following day or two. She had talked to the current praetors about taking a reconnaissance trip to Camp Half Blood, but the idea was immediately shot down. No one wants to risk a quest into the area that is quickly becoming regarded as the enemy's.

It just makes her frustrated. But more and more people are becoming convinced that there's going to be an attack within the next few weeks. The praetors are going to prepare for war, not negotiation. Sam knows that isn't the way to go. At least, she couldn't let it be. She had friends at Camp Half Blood. People she thought of as family. And the Romans… She knows they would destroy them.

With the stress of impending war on her shoulders, she's glad to get an Iris message from Ethan that evening. Just seeing him makes her relax a bit.

"Hey," He yawns, covering his mouth to muffle himself.

"Tired?" She asks, amused at him for calling her when he's obviously exhausted.

"Yeah. I've been in a Head Counselor meeting for hours. It's getting really serious over here. There's news going around that the Romans are planning to attack in a few days, so-" He stops short and looks back, like someone is calling him. He smiles at them before looking back at her. "What about over there? Any news?"

"Rumors of Camp Half Blood attacking. Some campers claimed seeing kids from Camp Half Blood, but they would have to go to the infirmary with headaches right after," she reports. After a moment of silence, Sam voices one of her major concerns. "It seems a bit odd, both camps thinking that there's going to be an attack."

"I know. Something isn't right," he agrees. "We need to stop it before there is actually a war."

She nods in agreement. That's the number one priority, stopping a war before it even starts. But she knows she's going to have a hard time trying to change the praetors' minds. At least Ethan will have a chance since he's head counselor of the legacy cabin.

"We need a plan. The praetors aren't listening to me. They refuse to sponsor a quest to Camp Half Blood with anything less than war in mind. I don't know what Chiron has said to you, but nothing's going to happen here with the support of the legion. I may have to go out on my own."

Ethan's concern is written plain on his face, but he doesn't speak against her idea. He knows it's the right thing to do. "The Ares cabin is preparing for war. They don't like the idea of threats, especially with no precedent for it. The Apollo cabin is against it, but they've been busy with lots of campers complaining of forgetfulness and confusion. Did you say something about headaches at Camp Jupiter?"

"Yeah, with the kids who reported seeing Greek campers."

"Something isn't right," he repeats to himself.

Sam takes a deep breath, trying and failing to ease her fears. "I'll be there as fast as I can and we'll talk about it in person. I can talk to Chiron and tell him about what the Romans are planning. And, we can hang out for a bit before I come back. At least I get to ride Arion."

Ethan smiles a tiny bit. "That crazy horse with the worst mouth in the world? Don't fall off of him, please."

"Don't worry. He'll get me there in a few hours and I can stay in your cabin for the night." She smiled. "I'll see you soon, alright?"

"Yeah. Just be careful. I'll warn Chiron that you're coming."

"Thanks, Ethan. You're the best."

"I know," he smiles proudly. "I'll see you soon."

"Bye."

She waves her hand through the rainbow and watches it disappear. A solo secret quest to Camp Half Blood. She can do it. She's been to the other camp plenty of times. But this time, she's hoping to bring peace and not war, much against the wishes of her own camp.

She packs a bag for a couple of nights before going to the empty training field to call Arion. A few years back, her mother had taught her how to call him when she needed him. And he seems to like her as much as he likes her mom.

She climbs onto the horse and holds on tight as he takes off, quick as lightning. She closes her eyes, knowing she would get motion sickness from the ride there. All she can think of so she doesn't throw up is about saving the camps. About bringing peace. And about her friends.

She hears Arion's quiet whine what seems like only minutes later. She opens her eyes and sees herself on Half Blood Hill, but what she sees there is definitely not what she expects. The Greeks that she knew and grew up with, the fun loving and carefree Greeks, are preparing for war.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam walks onto the campground, getting some weird glares and stares from the campers who are still up and preparing for the war that might be. She tries to ignore them as she looks for Ethan, Oliver, Nicole, or Chase.

"Sam?" She hears from her left.

She turns and sees Chase running over to her. A smile breaks out on her face, glad to see her friend.

"Chase, it's so good to see you." She hugs him tight. "Why is everyone preparing for war?"

"There's news that Camp Jupiter is going to attack in two days. We're preparing ourselves for war," he explains nervously. "Is that why you're here? To stop it?"

"Yeah. Well, kind of," she sighs. "I need to talk to Chiron or at least Ethan first. Him and I think that there's something more going on."

Chase smiles a tiny bit. "He's in his cabin."

He starts to lead her to the legacy cabin, where kids are constantly going in and out. Everyone just seems to be in a rush to get prepared for the war.

"If I could make a suggestion," he says, "I think that wearing an SPQR shirt to the middle of Camp Half Blood while we're preparing for a battle with that specific camp wasn't the best idea."

Sam glances down at her shirt, remembering for the first time that she has that specific one on. She pulls her jacket over it just a little closer, finally understanding the hateful looks she's been getting from Greek demigods she doesn't even know.

Arriving at the legacy cabin, Sam doesn't bother knocking before heading inside. Expecting to see Ethan where he normally is, she finds him curled up on his bed reading a book his mom was sure he would love, which at the moment is _The Great Gatsby_. He looks up from his book and sits up with the biggest smile on his face when he sees Sam.

"Sam! That ride took you less time than normal. You must've gotten to Arion in a hurry."

"Yeah, well. There's no time to waste from what I can see. You didn't tell me Camp Half Blood was this serious. More than they are usually, at least." The smile falls a little from Ethan's face, and Sam almost wishes she hadn't had to bring up the war.

"Ever since our last Iris message… the Ares cabin has gotten a pretty big following. They mean business."

"What about Chiron? And Mr. D? Do they agree with this?" She asks, trying to see what his fellow head counselors were thinking.

"They don't know what to think. Mr. D has been going a bit crazy with his Roman side since the news of possible war started," he replies. "The rest of the counselors are pretty split. Apollo, Demeter, and Athena cabins are against the war. Ares, Hermes, Nemesis, Nike, and possibly Aphrodite cabins are for the war. Everyone else hasn't made up their mind yet."

"What about legacies? What's going with them?" She asks.

Ethan lets out a breath before answering. "Undecided, even though I'm against it. It's hard since some of the legacies want to impress their parents or godly grandparents with battle. Meanwhile, others have a level head and know that this war isn't worth it."

"So it sounds like the majority of the campers think starting the war is a good idea," she says with a disappointed sigh. Ethan's nod only confirms her thoughts, and her mind is racked with ideas on how to convince two camps dead set on fighting that going to war is the last thing that will help their camps.

"There must be some outside force pushing everyone to see things like this," Ethan remarks. "It's too coincidental; the headaches, the confusion, seeing each other and getting messages of attacks. There has to be something else."

"Like a monster or a god," she states as her mind starts to turn. "But who or what would have motive to convince the camps that they're going to war?"

"Ares?" He shrugs. "He always like to see blood."

A horn goes off in the distance, signalling five minutes until curfew. Campers start to pour in for the night.

Sam looks at Ethan. "Maybe we should get some rest before we figure out a plan. It's late for you and you look exhausted."

"I am," he reluctantly agrees. "The Greeks aren't always about fun and games. We train pretty hard."

"Uh huh. You wouldn't survive a day of my training," she teases.

"We'll see about that," he smiles back, glad to get off topic of the war. "Any empty bed is yours for the night."

"Thanks." She turns to look for an empty bed, finding one in the back corner, perfect for her. She goes over to it and starts to unpack some of her things before getting into bed for the night.


	4. Chapter 4

Sam wakes to the bell calling the campers to the Mess Hall for breakfast. She gets dressed, changing out of her Camp Jupiter T-shirt, before heading over there, noting Ethan's perfectly made but empty bed. She walks over to the Mess Hall, recognizing the path as well as she does any other around Camp Jupiter, but there isn't anyone there besides a few stray satyrs. Furrowing her brows, Sam walks around a bit more, heading to the Big House to see what she can find.

Though the walk over results in nothing more than a few glares, she definitely finds what she's looking for when she sees the Big House. Through the windows in the front, Sam can see a meeting made up of all the head counselors, but it doesn't seem like they're having a friendly talk.

She can see the head of the Ares cabin standing up at one of the ends of the table, animatedly gesturing in a way Sam can only assume supports the destruction of Camp Jupiter and any ties Camp Half Blood has with it. On the other hand, the Athena head counselor tries to explain why war would be detrimental to both camps, encouraging the Ares camper to sit down.

Deciding to make her presence officially known, Sam steps up to the door of the Big House, knocking twice before entering. The counselors go silent as she opens the door. She looks at all the faces of the counselors until her eyes land on Ethan, the only strength she could use to get through this.

"What are you doing here?" The Ares counselor growls. "This meeting is closed off to any campers who aren't counselors. And especially to campers who aren't even Greek."

Her eyes go to the counselor. "I'm here to negotiate. Tell you what's happening at Camp Jupiter."

"See, someone who will tell us what's going on," the Athena counselor reasons. "If she can tell us what is really happening at Camp Jupiter then we may not have to go to war."

"Or she's just spying," the Ares counselor spits.

Sam glares at the counselor standing at the end of the table. "Camp Jupiter thinks you're going to attack. Campers have been claiming they saw campers in orange shirts."

"That's a complete lie! None of our half bloods have been over there." The Ares camper is fuming at this point. "Your campers are delusional! That, or you're trying to get our guard down before you attack."

"They've just been saying what they saw. They're also going into the infirmary with headaches after trying to remember."

All eyes were on her. She could tell they were all trying to figure out if she was lying or not. But Sam stood her ground, giving everyone a look that dared any of them to disagree or say what she claimed was false.

"Think about it," Ethan addresses the Ares counselor. "The same thing has been happening to our campers. Do you really think it could be such a big coincidence?"

"Or maybe," the son of Ares grinds out, "You've been sharing information with that Roman legacy kid you're crazy for, and she's making all this up."

Ethan's ears turn slightly pink, but his face clouds with anger. "Listen. There's no way everything that's been happening to each of our camps is a coincidence. Sam and I were thinking-"

"So you've been talking to her about us?" The Ares camper interrupts, his face consumed with anger and spite. The Demeter counselor looks terrified of what's going to happen, and Sam can see similar expressions developing on the other counselors' faces too.

Chiron decides to interrupt them, and welcomes Sam with a grim nod of his head. "Alright. Let's settle down a bit. There's no reason to jump to conclusions about any of this. It's a serious matter that we all need to consider over more than just one meeting. It is a war we're discussing."

The Ares camper sits down after taking his cue from Chiron, though his face stills shows his anger at Sam's presence and the Romans in general. Chiron steps closer to the table, drawing the attention in the room to himself with barely a word.

"I want to disperse this meeting for now, and let all of you think about the information we have. No good will come from fighting each other while you aren't level headed. We can speak again tomorrow, but until then, keep your opinions your own."

They start to get up and leave, slowly. The Ares kid glares at Sam as he walks out. It isn't until it's just her and Ethan in the room when she can finally breathe.

"That Ares kid won't change his mind, will he?" Sam asks.

"They're all strong headed," Ethan says carefully. "But it looks like some of them are going to vote against the war now that you gave your speal."

"I highly doubt it. I gave some information that can go against me," she sighs.

He pulls her into a hug, and she wraps her arms tightly around his middle. "Screw them. Let's go get some breakfast. After fighting and arguing, I need some more fuel."

"What, to argue again?" She asks.

"And to prepare for training and sneaking around camp to find more information. Unless you're leaving right away."

"I can stay for a bit," she replies, looking up at him and resting her chin on his chest. "I just need to leave tomorrow."

He smiles and breaks the hug. "So, breakfast? I heard there's pancakes today with chocolate chips, your favorite."

She grins, her stomach growling, and rolls her eyes, quickly grabbing his hand and pulling him to the Mess Hall.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam watches Ethan with amusement as he attempts to climb up the rockwall. She smiles as he almost slips from losing his footing, but he pulls himself up as the wall shakes. He presses against the wall as he struggles to climb up. After only going a little further, he slips and falls off, landing on the soft padding at the bottom.

"You okay?" Sam asks, leaning over her friend.

"If your definition of okay is a few bruises and a broken ego, then yes, I'm fine," he grunts, pushing himself off the ground.

Sam helps him up, wondering how this was considered training. But she keeps her mouth shut since she knows their training is very different than hers. She always liked watching the Greeks train. It seems more fun than hers. She was used to working as one unit, whereas the Greeks seemed like a free for all mess.

"Want to give it a try? It's really fun," he smiles.

"Nah, I think I'm okay. We need to work on our plan," she reminds him. "I don't think the Romans are going to take the threat lightly. By now the praetors must be creating a plan to destroy this place. And as far as I can tell, the Greeks are either training for a fun game of capture the flag or preparing for war. One of the two."

Ethan lets out sigh, her humor falling a little flat. "I know. I know. I just need more time to talk to the other counselors, convince them that this war is a bad idea."

"And what if they can't be convinced? What do we do?"

"We try and stop it anyways. We need to figure out who is doing this."

"Are there any kids here not affected by this? A god probably wouldn't affect his or her own kids. Maybe Ares? He's always wanting blood."

"Too obvious. He wouldn't do that. And besides, there's other wars going on around the world," Ethan replies. "He wouldn't focus on our two camps just for kicks."

"Then who else?" She asks.

"Haven't thought of it yet. But you're only here until this evening. And to me, I think we should have some fun before you go."

She shakes her head, failing to hide her smile. "You greeks and your fun."

He smiles his famous crooked smile. "I bet I can get Oliver and Chase to come hang with us for a bit."

Sam's grin splits her face, ecstatic to do anything with more of her Greek friends. "Deal."

An hour later, Ethan has rounded up Oliver and Chase, and even picked up Nicole for the ride. The five of them walk around the camp for a little bit, trying to decide what to do.

"Let's go to a party," Chase suggests, always ready to relax and have fun.

After hearing a chorus of 'No' and 'What party would we go to?', Chase falls behind the group, sulking. Oliver recommends a movie, to which the group seems half-hearted about. It's Nicole Solace di Angelo whose mouth takes a sly grin, cultured from eleven years on the run, by herself, before her adoptive father, Nico, found her five years ago and took her in. She had a mind like her parents' friends, the Stolls, and always had a trick up her sleeve.

"Let's go pranking," she says, inciting a grin from Chase and Ethan, while Oliver and Sam just roll their eyes with a smile.

Ethan rubs his hands together, excited by any prospect of breaking the rules. "And what did you have in mind?"

"Oh, you know. Little of this, little of that. Little of messing with the Ares and Hermes cabins."

Sam finally gives in, tossing a high five in Nicole's direction, glad to have all her friends in one place.


	6. Chapter 6

The five of them sit back on Zeus' fist, watching the chaos happen in front of them. The Ares and Hermes cabin are each covered in baby powder after finding powder bombs in their cabins. Each cabin had started to blame each other until they realized that they were both victims of the same crime.

"This is great," Sam smiles. "Nice one, Nicole. Possibly your best one so far."

"Thank you," she smiles proudly. "I've always thought of myself as Queen of the Pranksters."

"Well, you've definitely earned that title," she confirms.

Nicole says nothing as they watch the disaster unfold below them. Just seeing the Ares cabins get ready to start a fight with the Hermes kids was worth the time it took to make those bombs. And watching the Hermes cabin run away, trailing baby powder and screaming insults and pleas that they weren't the ones who did the pranking made it even better. Yeah, this was Nicole's best prank yet by far.

The dinner bell rings in the distance and the gang slowly starts to get up and walk towards the mess hall. Chase and Nicole are up front goofing around, Oliver trying to catch up with the two of them. Sam and Ethan hang back a bit to talk about their plan now that their heads are clear.

"So any plans?" Ethan asks as he wraps his arm around her shoulders. "Is your head clear now?"

"Unlike the Ares and Hermes cabins' heads, yeah. It's definitely clear," she smiles.

They walk by a group of Ares campers, still covered in baby powder. Some of them are grumbling about going to dinner covered in powder. Others are trying to dust the powder off themselves, which clearly isn't working.

"I bet it was the Nemesis cabin," one of the Ares kids says to his friend. "Revenge for beating their butts in capture the flag or something dumb."

"That might be true," his friend agrees. "Probably even got their mom to help them. She showed up in my dreams the other night, or well, I think she did. My head is still foggy."

Sam slows down a bit to listen to them. Ethan seems to have the same idea and stays back with her, his arm tightening and drawing her closer to him.

"Her brat kids probably pulled this on us," he continues, shaking baby powder out of his hair. "She was talking about all this weird stuff in my dream, like how revenge would be sweet for some child of hers. Ethan?"

"That Jackson kid?"

"No! Jackson is Poseidon's grandson. Different guy."

Sam looks at her friend, wondering if he knew anything about Nemesis' son, but he looks just as confused as she is. The two Ares kids walk too far ahead for them to continue listening to their conversation, and Sam pulls away from Ethan.

"Nemesis? Wanting revenge for her kid? But the gods almost never pay attention to their kids unless they want them to do a quest," Ethan tells her.

"What if she was his special kid?" Sam shrugs. "All gods have a favorite child."

Ethan nods, thinking that she might be right. He starts walking to the mess hall where everyone is already eating. Their friends are already eating and chatting. Chase sees them and grins, winking and waving them over. They walk to their friends and sit down, immediately being pulled into the conversation. Sam wishes she doesn't have to leave tonight, but knows she has to. There has to be a way to keep contact with them that's more reliable than Iris messaging. And someway for Ethan and her to get more done faster.

She makes eye contact with Ethan over the table, pointedly looking at all of their friends, then back at him. Eventually, he figures out what she means and nods, clearing his throat to get their attention.

"Guys," he begins. "Sam and I have something to tell you."


	7. Chapter 7

"So what you're saying," Oliver suggests, "Is that Nemesis is trying to start a war between the camps?

The group had retreated to somewhere they knew they wouldn't be overheard by gods or campers. Ethan and Sam had explained everything that had happened, from the camp attacks to the talk with the Ares kids. While no one else was _really_ surprised, they were all slightly shocked that Sam and Ethan had done so much research.

"Yeah," Ethan tells Oliver. "At least, that's what we decided when we heard the Ares kids talking. We don't know for sure, but we think that she wants revenge for one of her kid's death. A kid named Ethan, actually. Have any of you heard of him?"

Everyone else shakes their head.

"But why would she want to start a war with camps when she's a Greek goddess? The Romans probably had nothing to do with his death," Chase asks. "It doesn't make sense."

"She's the goddess of revenge. If she wants revenge, she's going to go big. And maybe she thinks that the Romans can defeat the Greek," Sam replies. "It makes sense in her point of view."

"So to summarize," Nicole says, "Greek and Roman campers are both hallucinating that they're seeing other campers and hearing threats from each other. Nemesis has apparently been placing these thoughts in everyone's heads to start a war that will get revenge for her fallen son, Ethan. And it's been working so far, because the Romans are blood-thirsty and the Greeks are thick-headed. Not to mention, no one else knows about this, and Sam leaves for Camp Jupiter tonight, separating our team."

No one says anything after Nicole drops the magnitude of the situation on them, and everyone just looks around, finally realizing just how far in over their heads they are.

"Hold up, guys. We've got this. Our parents are some of the best demigods to have ever walked the planet. We've got the only living children of the Big Three gods as our parents, aunts, or uncles. Why don't we ask them for help, or at least if they know anything about Nemesis' grudges or her son Ethan?"

"That's… actually a good idea, Chase," Sam admits. "Since Nemesis is a Greek goddess, why don't you all ask your parents about her son and I'll talk to mine about anything else they might know. Sound good?"

After a chorus of affirmations come from everyone else, Sam gets up and heads to the door of Bunker Nine. "Alright, guys. I've gotta call Arion and get back to Camp Jupiter. Who knows what's happened since I've left."

"We'll keep you updated by IM. Don't worry about it," Ethan tells her. "You have to go back to camp."

She smiles sadly. "Yeah. I know."

They head out of the Bunker, each of them saying goodbye to her as they head to New Athens to talk to their parents. Ethan hangs back a bit to stay with her as she calls for Arion. Though she doesn't want to admit it, Sam is slightly glad that he wants to stay back with her to say a more personal goodbye.

The horse appears only a second after she calls for him. She gives him some gold nuggets and pets him, Ethan coming up beside her.

Ethan starts to say something to her, but changes his mind. After trying to clear his head, Sam finally shakes her head at him and laughs.

"Ethan, just say it?"

"What?"

"I know something's bothering you. What is it?"

"I just… I wish you didn't have to go, you know?" Though he doesn't seem like he said all that he wanted to, he pulls her to him and wraps her in a tight hug. Pleasantly surprised, Sam hugs him back.

"Me too," she says. "We'll figure this out soon, though. And then we can go back to relaxing and doing all the pranks we want, okay?" Sam smiles and steps away from him, hopping on Arion. "I'll see you later. Keep me updated if anything happens, alright?"

Ethan just nods and looks down, waving a hand to her and turning around to catch up with his friends.


	8. Chapter 8

Sam gets back to Camp Jupiter only an hour later, and it's nothing like she expects. Everyone is already prepared to go to war. Kids are grabbing their armor and weapons, preparing to be on the move. As she walks, she knows she has to tell the praetors what she overheard at Camp Half Blood. Convince them that there's no need to go to war. Tell them that this is all Nemesis' plan for revenge.

She overhears people talking about leaving tomorrow to start the trek to New York. Her heart pounds as she hears the kids get excited about going to war. How could anyone be excited for war? They're risking their lives for some goddess that's messing with their head.

Sam pulls aside a passing legionnaire. "Hey! Have you seen Maia or Kyle? Do you know where I can find them?" The kid just shrugs, and Sam walks away, annoyed. Deciding she needs backup before facing the praetors, Sam heads to New Rome, to the house of her parents.

"Mom! Dad! You home?"

"Sam," she hears from upstairs. "Is that you?" Her mother, Hazel Zhang, comes running down the stairs. She pulls Sam into a hug, talking about how much she was missed in the last few days.

"Mom, where's Dad?" She asks when she finally gets a word in. Her mom frowns, and Sam knows nothing good can come of whatever she's going to say.

"He went to go talk to the praetors. He's hoping he might be able to get them to reconsider their actions."

"Really? He's there?" She asks. "I need to go talk to them. I know what's going on at Camp Half Blood."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I'll see you later mom," she gives her one last hug before running out the door.

She goes to the Mess Principia to find the praetors and her dad. Pushing through kids, she finally finds them in the praetors' quarters. She walks in and the conversation seems to stop.

"Sam? What are you doing here?" Her dad, Frank, asks.

"I need to tell you three something, about Camp Half Blood and the whole situation," she tells them.

"You were at the enemy's camp?" Maia asks. "Why were you there?"

"To see what was actually going on." Sam looks at her, squaring her shoulders and preparing herself to for the Greeks. For Ethan. For her friends. "It's a similar situation over there."

"So they are preparing for war," Kyle notes. "I knew it. They are planning to attack."

"Only because they think we're going to attack," Sam argues. "I know what's happened over there, and what's going to."

Kyle ignores her and looks at Maia, starting to discuss their plan of attack. Frank stands there, looking a bit frustrated at the praetors.

"Let Sam explain what she knows." Frank shouts, interrupting their conversation. "It might prevent war."

The two of them look at Frank, shocked, then at Sam.

"It's Nemesis. She's manipulating the campers at both camps. She wants revenge for her deceased son," Sam tells them. Frank looks confused, but Maia and Kyle just go back to work.

"We don't have time for stories, Sam," Maia says. "What would a Greek goddess like Nemesis care about our Roman camp?"

"That's just it, though. She knows that we're stronger. When I was at Camp Half Blood, I overheard a camper talking about a vision of Nemesis he had. He said Nemesis told him that she would get revenge for her forgotten son, Ethan."

"Percy's son?" Frank asks, immediately worried. Sam shakes her head, and Frank begins pacing the room. "Ethan… there was a story Annabeth and Percy told me, once, when they decided on Ethan's name. I don't quite remember it though. I think it had to do with a camper that lost his life in the Battle of Manhattan. But I thought Ethan sided with the Titans. I don't remember much more than that, though. I'm sorry. You could ask Percy or Annabeth, though."

Sam just nods her head. "Ethan and everyone else at Camp Half Blood are supposed to be talking to their parents too. Hopefully Uncle Percy or Aunt Annabeth will tell him more about it."

"This is ridiculous," Kyle interjects. "We have trusted campers talking about reports of attacks from Camp Half Blood. We can't just take this lightly. The Greeks have to know that we're serious."

"They know you are. They think you're coming soon," Sam tells them. "And that's what the goddess wants."

"Sam, we can't discuss something that is impossible," Maia tells her.

"This is possible!" She slams her hand on the desk. "And it's true. My friends are terrified and trying to prevent this war from happening too."

"You're getting out of line, soldier," Kyle warns her. "You have to listen to your pra-"

"My praetors are wrong! Please listen to me," Sam begs. "You're going to give Nemesis what she wants."

"That's it!" Kyle shouts. "You're on lockdown. No contact with other people, Roman or Greek. Go back to your house. Stay there until a legionnaire comes to get you, but don't count on it being anytime soon."

Sam starts to defend herself but Frank puts a hand on her shoulder, nodding for her to leave. Fuming, Sam leaves the praetors' quarters and heads back to her house. She immediately goes up to her room, heading to the water fountain she has placed perfectly for Iris messages. She fishes around for a gold drachma, tossing it into the rainbow.

"Ethan," she says when the connection has been established. "We've got a problem."


	9. Chapter 9

"Are you serious?" Ethan is completely shocked after she tells him what happened when she talked to the praetors. "They can't do that to you."

"They can because they're my superiors," she sighs. "But my dad said that your parents knew the Ethan kid and named you after him."

"Yeah. They told me the story. A messed up kid who was first on the wrong side of the Titan War but in the end he was a hero. I don't understand why Nemesis wants revenge since the camp honored him."

Sam gives him a confused look. If he's a hero, why did Nemesis want revenge? "Was he a troubled kid?"

"I think so," he replies. "He was super messed up, was basically second in command on the Titan's side. He was actually blind in one eye, too, and his mom was the one that took it."

"His mom made him blind?" Sam asks, surprised.

"Yeah, something about him restoring balance to something? I don't know, it's confusing. Great namesake, if you ask me," Ethan says drily.

"So… what do we do now? I mean, we have this information, but what good does it do us?"

"Nothing. It does absolutely nothing. That's what makes me frustrated," Ethan growls. "Even in my head counselor meeting they wouldn't listen to me. The Nemesis head counselor was furious."

"Then we should do something. We have to. We should find Nemesis," Sam tells him. "Make her stop doing this to the camps before people die for no reason."

"You're right, but how do we do that? You're on lockdown and there's only so much sway we have here."

"It's easy," she says with a smile. "We have to invent our own quest. We can find a place that has strong ties to battle or revenge, and call out to Nemesis. With the anger she must be feeling, it shouldn't be too hard, right? She'll have to come."

Ethan nods understandingly. "Alright," he says. "We should find a place that's central to both the Greek and Roman camps, or has a lot of both campers. Somewhere we know Nemesis will come."

"I have no idea where that would be," She admits. "Greeks and Romans are so different. I don't think they have a neutral ground."

"Then where's the strongest pull for Greek gods in the U.S.?" Ethan asks.

"Gettysburg? It was a main turning point of the Revolutionary war," Sam suggests.

"Nah, that seems like a place for Ares," Ethan points out. "D.C.? It has ideals from Romans and Greeks. Maybe there."

"Maybe," Sam sighs. "The government stands for everything she does. But there has to be an easier way."

"Like a temple?"

"Yeah. Maybe the Romans or Greeks has a temple for her?"

"Probably not. D.C. might be our best bet unless she wants to come to us."

"Like that'll ever happen," Sam scoffs.

On Ethan's side of the Iris message, Sam hears a loud pop, then watches as Ethan turns around in alarm. He backs up slowly, almost into the Iris message, causing it to shimmer.

"Ethan! What is it?"

He only stammers until Sam hears the sound of someone getting up and walking over to him. Ethan backs out of the frame, but another woman comes into view.

"On the contrary, Samantha Zhang," the woman smirks. "I have all the more reason to tell you about my plans now that you've done so much work in figuring it out. I wouldn't want you to work so hard and get this far, only to be led astray by some little thing, now would I?"

"Nemesis. What do you want?" Sam's voice is hard, but Nemesis can tell she's trying to keep the fear from it.

"Only to give you a bit more information. I want to play a game. Let's see what you do with it."


	10. Chapter 10

"Why would you help us? You helping us must come with a price." Sam says, trying to sound strong and not have her voice crack under pressure.

"Oh, even with this little information the war will still happen," Nemesis smiles. "It's how the two of you will take it that I'm curious about."

"Then what is it?" Ethan demands, even though he can't be seen in the Iris Message.

The goddess faces Ethan and smiles. Her smile sends a shiver through Sam's spine. Whatever she's planning, Sam feels like she doesn't want to hear it, even if it gives them a hint on what's going on.

Nemesis' expression turns hard. "You've been on the right track. You were correct to overhear the two Ares kids talking about my son, Ethan Nakamura. What you don't know, however, is the full story. After spending his life thinking that I didn't love him, Ethan chose to side with the Titans in the war. What he didn't know, though, is that I did love him, and I wanted to claim him. But I knew the life as a child of Nemesis would be a hard one, and it was the opportunity for a good life that I wasn't willing to spoil for him. The camp should have known this. They should've known better and protected all the demigods that 'defected' to the side of the Titans."

Sam stays quiet, Ethan doing the same on his side of the message. It dawns on Sam, again, then that Ethan Jackson is Ethan Nakamura's namesake. "Nemesis. Why have you waited this long to start trouble between the camps? Nakamura was in our parents' generation. Why do this to us?"

Nemesis smiles, a cruel look that seems natural on her face. "It was because of your parents and their friends that I lost my son. They didn't protect him. So I will get my revenge on both of your camps, now, and see how your parents like the feeling of losing their own children."

"You're only going to hurt both camps and their friendship that they had for decades," Sam says. "Your son wasn't forgotten. Ethan was named after your son. His parents saw him as a hero."

"After how many years? Ethan deserved better than his fate," Nemesis spits. "The other demigods who followed the Titans, do you two know what happened to them? Forgotten or they felt banished from their camp. No one decided to help guide them back on the path of the gods."

"That's horrible, but that shouldn't lead to war with the camps. You need to stop before kids are killed for the wrong reasons."

"It's too late. This war is going to happen whether you two like it or not. I can't wait until it unfolds," Nemesis smiles before walking away and disappearing.

The Iris Message refocuses on Ethan, who looks worried and can't help but think about everything the goddess told them.

"Ethan? Are you okay?" Sam asks.

He looks up at the Iris Message, concern and worry mostly showing on his face. "I-I think I'm going to die in this war."


	11. Chapter 11

Sam couldn't sleep that night. Just hearing Ethan so concerned he was going to die was enough to keep her up. His logic made sense. Nemesis wanted revenge on their, mostly his, parents. And if she wants their parents to feel what it's like to lose a child, one of their friends is going to die.

But Sam couldn't accept it. Ethan had been her best friend for so long. He had to live. He was so important to so many people.

The Romans are going to start moving the next day and Sam still can't technically go with them. But that doesn't mean she couldn't go ahead of them on Arion. She just had to be sneaky about it.

She waits until the sun starts to rise before she leaves New Rome. She doesn't tell her parents that she's going to Camp Half Blood, thinking that she'll be able to stop the war before the first shot.

She calls Arion, whispering to him that she needs to go to Ethan at Camp Half Blood. A short time later, Arion drops her off in front of the Legacy cabin. Sam drops from his side, tossing him thanks in the form of a gold nugget before barging through the door.

When she sees Ethan on his bed, she rushes past the glares and shouts of his fellow campers, choosing instead to fall down on his bed beside him.

"Ethan, you aren't going to die. You can't. You mean too much to everyone. To me. There will be a way to stop this." Ethan attempts a smile for her, but Sam sees past it without any trouble. He's petrified.

"It's okay, Sam. Really. Nakamura was around my age when he died. Nemesis wants revenge on my father, my mother, and my camp for not saving him. The Fates have a thing with going full circle, I guess. Ethan Nakamura died to stop a war. It makes sense for me to die, too, to stop this war. I was about to go talk to my parents. Just to tell them I love them, you know?"

Sam wraps her arms around him, her heart cracking under the weight of the tears in his eyes. "I won't let it happen. We'll find some way to prevent it, we will. I swear it on the Styx."

Ethan jerks back from her, about to object only to be interrupted by the Ares head counselor barging through the door.

"Roman!" He calls, pointing the tip of his sword at her. "Your camp has declared war with ours by you trespassing on our land without permission. We have no choice but to lock you in the Big House as a traitor to your camp, and a spy to ours until everything has been resolved."

More Ares and Hermes campers come through the door, grabbing Sam by the arms and dragging her away. Despite fighting against them, she can do little more than turn her head to see the look of rage on Ethan's face as she's taken out of the cabin and to the Big House.

"As for you, Jackson," the son of Ares says, "Put your armor on. We've got a war to fight, unless you'd like to waste more time with the enemy."

Ethan gets up and glares at him. "She isn't the enemy here! Nemesis is!"

"Nemesis? She would have better business elsewhere than with creating a war between the camps," the Ares counselor scoffs. "Are you trying to protect your girlfriend, Jackson?"

"I'm trying to protect both the camps!" He shouts. "We all have friends at Camp Jupiter and now we have to fight them? Because of what? Assuming that we saw some of their campers here?"

The Ares counselor stalks up to him, towering over him. "Either get your armor on or be punished as a traitor."

Ethan's face twists into a scowl, vexed that he's being told what to do after his friend was practically taken hostage. He takes a step closer to the boy, raising his fist. When the Ares camper smirks and places his hand on the hilt of his sword, Ethan uncurls his fist and takes deep breath. Muttering a curse as he shoves past the kid, Ethan heads to the Big House, determined to set things right and free Sam.

Hopefully, he'd live up to his name and be able to stop this war, too.


	12. Chapter 12

Sam doesn't try to keep struggling. She just lets the campers take her to the Big House, hoping that she can talk to Chiron. If this is war, then she wants to to get his advice on how to stop it.

When she gets to the Big House, she searches for the centaur. With the trap the Ares and Hermes campers put around, he's nowhere to be found. The front door opens and Ethan comes in. His tense face relaxes when he sees her, but Sam can still see the fuming look on his face.

"Sam," he breathes out, rushing over to her. He looks at the magical writing on the floor around her, courtesy of the Hecate cabin. The runes had been put there in case the camp needed to hold a monster or an angry minor god (Mr. D once had a little _too_ much Diet Coke). But they weren't meant to keep other _campers_ in hold.

"Ethan," Sam says nervously, recognizing the furious look on his face. "Calm down. We'll figure this out. We always do."

"What are we supposed to do, Sam?" He shouts, his hands pulling on his hair. "We can't get you out of here without the help of a Hecate camper, and neither of us know what to do! The war has already begun. Romans marched on Half Blood Hill and the Greeks are going to meet them right now." He paces back and forth in front of her circle of imprisonment, until finally coming to rest on the couch across the room.

"We're too late," he whispers sadly, casting his eyes downward. Sam says nothing at first, trying to think of a way to console him from her prison. Then an idea hits her that should have been obvious from the start.

"Wait. We've been missing something all along, Ethan. It's not just us, anymore. We have our friends, too. And better than that, we have our parents. My mom has taught me a little bit about the Mist, and my grandfather loves a good war. You're smart, courtesy of your grandmother. We can figure out a way to break these runes, and make a plan to stop the war. We can do this, Ethan. We can."

The grin on her face grows when Ethan looks up to her with an expression mirroring her own: hope. "I've got an idea."

"What's your genius idea?" She asks.

"How much can you control the mist?" He asks, pacing a little. When he does that, there's an idea in his head that just might work.

"A little bit. I'm not nearly as good as my mom," she replies.

"Good enough to help fake my own death?" He smiles.

She just stares at him for a moment, wondering if he's joking. "You're serious?"

"Fake my death and get you out of here. It'll work. You just gotta trust me and believe in me and yourself for this to work," he tells her. "You can do it Sam."

She takes a deep breath and tries to remember what her mom taught her when she first started showing an inclination to the Mist.

"Why do you want me to kill you?" Though she has an idea for what his plan is, she can't believe he could think of something this outrageous.

"Not kill, just to fake my death. It'll be a distraction. Call in the guards. Someone outside will have to hear you. They'll remove you from here and take you to a more secure place. At least, that's what happened with the last monster that was in there."

Starting to understand the rest of his plan, Sam motions for Ethan to lay down in front of the runes. Taking his sword out of the sheath, Ethan lays it flat across his chest, putting his hand on his stomach just under the hilt.

"We're gonna have to act quickly once I'm out of these runes," she warns him. "I won't be able to control this for long."

Sam puts her shaky hands out in front of her, pointing her fingertips to where Ethan is laying down. Concentrating on what she had learned from her mom, Sam reaches out with her mind to the Mist around her, pulling it to her and asking it to help. Once she has the Mist under control, Sam sharpens her eyesight and looks out the window. Her father, a shapeshifter, hadn't passed down the direct ability to shapeshift, but Sam could take slight characteristics from certain animals and apply them to her own senses. They were all just minor things, but came in handy during times like these.

Sam sees an Athena camper running past the Big House, and takes in a big breath. The camper slows when she starts screaming, but doesn't bother to go into the Big House. Sighing, Sam warns Ethan that the usage of her powers will definitely leave her weak later. She alters her vocal chords when she sees another camper running past in full armor, then lets out an ear-splitting lion's roar.

The camper's eyes bulge and he heads towards the Big House, unsheathing his sword. It's only when Sam sees exactly _who_ she attracted to the Big House that she wishes she had waited for just one more camper. Shaking it off, Sam pulls the mist towards Ethan, wrapping him in the vision of a different Ethan, one with a sword in his chest and a pool of blood around his body.

"Jo," Sam addresses the Ares head counselor. "You have to help. Ethan, he just started ranting about Nemesis and all this weird stuff, and then he… he… You have to help. Please."

Sam lets the fear she's been feeling leak into her voice, and tears gather in her eyes. Jo's face clouds over with confusion, and he blinks his eyes a few times. Then the resolve on his face strengthens, and he shakes his head, stepping towards her with rage plain on his features.


	13. Chapter 13

Sam can't believe that it worked, even if she feels drained from using the Mist on Ethan. Jo had gone to go get a Hecate kid to help her out of the runes and start making a new prison in the next room. He has a tight grip on her arms to make sure she isn't going anywhere, but Sam isn't trying anything. Yet.

"You're hurting me," she tells him.

Jo ignores her and forces her to walk past Ethan. She looks at her friend on the floor, hoping that her Mist magic was still working on him.

She only knows it's broken when Ethan jumps up and slams into Jo, knocking him into the runes prison and grabbing Sam. The Hecate kid looks at them, shocked.

"Do you want to be in that prison too?" Ethan threatens the kid.

She shakes her head, a bit afraid of what he could do from knowing his reputation and watching him shove the huge Ares kid.

"Good. Now go!"

The poor girl runs off, scared out of her mind.

"You didn't have to scare her," Sam tells him, a slightly amused frown on her face. "She seems sweet."

"Sweet or not, we need to get moving," Ethan says to her. "Jo's not going anywhere."

He grabs her hand and starts running out of the Big House. She follows, trying to keep up with him, but can feel him dragging her most of the way. Her heart pounds as they hide in the forest.

"What's the plan now?" He asks.

"Uh, stop the war between the camps?" She suggests, trying to come up with ideas. When Ethan rolls his eyes, she objects. "Hey, you're wisdom's grandchild! I got us out of the Big House, you can figure out what to do next."

"I'm pretty sure it was me who got us out of there, actually. I didn't see you punching any giant Ares kids." He smiles at her glare, then begins to pace in front of the trees, thinking.

"Jo had a hard grip on me," she protests. "Anyways, I don't think I can use Mist magic again. I'm ready to pass out."

"Alright. So no Mist magic," Ethan paces even faster now. "What would make everyone stop fighting? Someone dying? Probably not. A god or goddess appearing?"

"Possibly, but I can't make one up." Sam tells him.

"Our parents?" He smiles, thinking of something. "We can remind everyone why the camps are connected."

She grins. "Possibly."

It's difficult to work out the rest of the plan, but they eventually get everything in place. Once the plan has been set, Ethan and Sam set out to find the rest of their friends. They are creeping around behind the cabins when Ethan put his hand out in front of Sam, stopping her.

"What?" She hisses, rubbing her arm where she had bumped into a cabin.

"You see those kids? Daughter of Athena and son of Demeter. They're against the war. Maybe I can get something out of them. You stay here." He starts to take steps forward, but Sam sticks her arm in front of him.

"Nuh uh. You got the Ares kid, I get these two." She smirks at him and walks towards the two demigods.

"Hey, you two," she shouts, grabbing their attention. Sam ducks through the door to an empty cabin, motioning for them to follow her. They share a concerned glance, then run into the cabin behind her.

Ethan can't hear much of the conversation from his position outside, so he runs up to the back side and places his ear against the wall.

"...on Half Blood Hill. We're demanding they surrender, and the Praetors are ordering for complete separation of the two camps. But, Sam, there's something else. The gods…"

Before Ethan can hear much more of the conversation, though, a voice cuts through the relative silence of the woods. He feels a hand tap him on the shoulder, and his blood runs cold.

"Just what do you think you're doing?"


	14. Chapter 14

Ethan looks back at the person who had tapped his shoulder. He lets out a breath of relief when he sees it's only Oliver. Nicole and Chase are standing right behind him too. He smiles at his friends.

"Trying to stop a war. What are you guys doing here?" He asks.

"Trying to find you and Sam. We thought she was locked up in the prison." Chase replies. "But obviously you two are sneaking around."

Ethan slightly glares at him. "No. We're making a plan."

"Then what is the plan?" Nicole asks.

Ethan tells them what him and Sam had created so far. The others seem a bit leery about it but agree to go along, anything to prevent a war.

Sam walks out of the cabin with the Athena and Demeter kids. The two kids run off and Sam looks for Ethan.

"What did they say?" He asks, popping out of nowhere and scaring her. "Something about the gods, right?"

Sam's expression turns grim. "Yeah. The camps have already gathered on Half Blood Hill. The war has begun. People are dying, guys. And the gods are… helping it. It's like they want the war as much as anyone else. They've been sending down blessings for their kids, and a lot of them. Half the Ares and Mars cabins. A couple of Bellona kids are aiding in attack strategies, and almost all the Hermes kids have winged converse. There's more, too. It's bad."

"This isn't right," Ethan frowns. "Why would the gods want a part in the war that will kill all of their children?"

The group stands quiet for a few moments, each perplexed as to what the gods motivation could be.

"Wait," Nicole finally mutters. "What gods did you say have the blessings?"

"Bellona, Mars, Ares, Hermes, and a few others. Why?"

"Those are all the gods whose kids either said they dreamt of Nemesis or saw the other camp at their borders. What if Nemesis is even influencing the gods, convincing them that the war is necessary?"

"That's it," Chase says. "It has to be."

Ethan swallows. He makes eye contact with Sam across the circle they had formed.

"It's time to start the plan, guys. We don't have much time."

"We'll meet back here in ten. Don't get involved with the war," Sam tells them.

They all break away from their circle and run to get the plan into action. Ethan and Sam hang back for a moment.

"It's going to be fine. I'll stay here until my parents come," Sam tells him. "Go get your parents. They'll be the ones who can stop this."

He nods. "Just be safe. If a blessed Ares kid sees you, it'll be a lot worse than your runes prison."

"Don't worry about me. I'm more concerned about you," She tells him. "You know, the whole thinking that you're going to die. I don't want that to come true."

Ethan looks at her for a long moment, his eyes hard, then pulls her into a bone-crushing hug. Sam thinks there has to be something else Ethan wants to say that he tries to communicate in his arms wrapped tight around her waist, but he runs off before she can say anything. Sam stares at where he disappeared for only a moment before she starts to head off in the other direction. A horse's whinny and the sound of her parents' voices stops her, and she turns in circles until she catches sight of them.

Frank and Hazel Zhang jump off Arion and run to their daughter, gathering her in a hug.

"Sam," her mom says, eyebrows creased with worry. "What's wrong? Why did you call us to Camp Half Blood?"

"I know it's bad timing. With the praetors here, it's law that the last praetor- Dad- takes over in their absence. So I know it was difficult for you to leave. But, we need you here. You have to help us with something."

Hazel questions Sam with her eyes, wondering what she could need from them, but Sam's eyes are locked on her father's.

"What is it, Sam?" Her mother asks her.

"You're a part of our plan. And I… I think Dad knows what that plan is."

Frank nods, a tired look in his eyes. "And are the others getting their parents?"

"Yeah, they just left," Sam tells him.

"And what is your plan?" Hazel asks.

"Getting the seven most powerful demigods to reason with the Romans, Greeks, and Nemesis. She's the one who's driving this war and the one who needs to stop it," she replies.

Hazel's mouth falls open. "Sam, I think you're overestimating how much sway we all have with everyone else," she sputters.

"No, Mom. You're our best option. Our only option. It's up to you and the rest of the seven. You've spent years downplaying the roles you guys had with stopping the last war, but I've heard the stories from everyone about the brave demigods who travelled across the world to save their camps. You can do this. You have to do this."

From across the camp, the sounds of shouting and the explosion of Greek fire reaches Sam, Hazel, and Frank's ears. Frank grimaces, putting his arm around Hazel's shoulders.

"And we have to do it now."


	15. Chapter 15

Sam and her parents head to the battlefield. Her stomach is in knots as she walks. All she keeps thinking is: What if this doesn't work? Then we fail and innocent kids will die.

She sees her friends coming to the battlefield with their parents and they all seem determined to stop the war as much as their kids did. Annabeth is wildly gesturing to a distraught looking Percy, who has tears in his eyes. Jason, Piper, Leo, and Will look concerned and listen attentively to Oliver, Chase, and Ethan describe everything that had happened recently. Nico and Nicole were nowhere to be found.

As the two groups- Sam with her parents and the rest of her friends with theirs- converge, Sam catches Ethan's eye. Ethan glances once at the terrified look on her face and takes her arm, stopping her while the rest of the group keeps going.

"Sam, it's okay. We've worked this out. Our parents have saved the camps before. They can do it again."

"But what if we're wrong? When our parents saved the camps, the fighting hadn't escalated this far. What if it's too late?"

Ethan doesn't have anything to say to console her, but pulls her into his arms, his hug so much more tighter than it normally was. Sam buries her face in his neck, and whispers what she had really been worried about.

"I don't want you to die, Ethan. I know what the past was like. I've heard the stories. Ethan Nakamura gave up his life to better the camps and the relationships gods have with their kids. But you can't do that. You can't leave, okay?"

Ethan stiffens around Sam, shocked at her words, but still nods into her hair.

"I won't. I won't die today, Sam. I promise." Then he kisses her head like he had done a thousand times before, but somehow this time felt different. It lingers longer, it presses harder… It seems more final.

As they hear Oliver and Chase yell for them to catch up, Sam and Ethan separate from their hug, jogging to catch up hand in hand. After getting closer to everyone else and hearing the back end of the plan, Ethan drops Sam's hand and turns to go in the opposite direction from her. Tossing a bright smile over his shoulder, Ethan asks her the first part of the story they had both heard thousands of times.

"Don't I get a kiss for good luck?"

Sam shakes her head, grinning. "Come back alive. Then we'll see."

He grins at her before running to go do his job. Sam can't help but watch him go. She could feel that something was going to happen, but she wasn't sure what. She felt like it might be something with Ethan, but refused to believe it.

Sam looks at her parents, who are starting to talk to their friends. They're nodding and shaking their head in agreement. Sam thinks she can't breathe. What if she just risked the lives of the seven most powerful demigods in the world? She couldn't live with herself if one of them died.

The seven agree on something before going into action. Sam decides to try and stop the Romans from advancing even more.

"What are you doing here? You were ordered to stay home!" Kyle glares. "You're disobeying your-"

"Stop attacking! Can't you see that we're losing kids over nothing?" Sam demands. In the corner of her eye, she can see Jason helping the others get on top of the roof of the Big House.

"They are the enemy! There are no friends in war," Maia tells her. "Now, you better stand down before you get severely injured."

Sam is about to argue further when she hears a loud shout. It startles everyone on the battlefield for a moment.

"Stop your fighting!" Annabeth's voice booms through the camp. Sam looks up and sees that she's talking through a bronze megaphone. "The Greeks and Romans aren't each other's enemies! We are friends! Allies! And have been this way for decades!"

Percy shows up next to her and continues the speech. "Both camps have been manipulated! We have worked hard for years of peace between the Greeks and Romans! Don't throw that all away!"

Though a few campers begin to set down arms, the majority of the kids keep fighting, either not hearing or choosing not to hear Percy and two shout in vain for a moment longer, then shake their head and look down. They exchange a few words with Jason, who stands at the bottom of the Big House. He nods solemnly then raises his hands. Percy floats down from the roof and stands next to Jason, his face grim.

The two of them point their hands over the peak of the fighting. A storm bursts forward, lightning striking the ground and rain pouring hard over the heads of the campers. Jason creates a wind tunnel in the middle of it, echoing Piper's calm, soothing words throughout the camp.

"Greeks and Romans. Lay down your arms." Without a second of hesitation, the sound of weapons clattering to the ground spreads through the hillside. "What you are doing is foolish. Your minds have been manipulated by the goddess Nemesis. Think back. With what motivation are you attacking your friends and allies today?"

The campers all begin to shake their heads, Piper's charmspeak running through their minds. The longer she speaks to them, the more placent they get, until there is barely a hostile look on the field.

"Realize the error in what you've been doing," Piper continues. Her voice sounds strong to everyone listening until it suddenly turns slightly muddled, the air Jason is using to project Piper's voice becoming more belligerent.

"You shouldn't be attacking each other," Piper's voice says, just slightly deeper than what it normally is, warping the soothing quality of her gentle voice. "You should be attacking us. The seven. We were the ones who forced peace on these camps. We were the ones who have been lying to you all."

Piper continues speaking, angering the campers and even some of the surrounding dryads and nymphs. Jason tries to disband the wind so Piper won't be heard as well, and Percy attempts plugging the area with water to mute her voice, but their elements don't respond.

Some campers take their swords up again, while others just choose to fight with their fists. Chaos erupts everywhere, Sam looking around in the hopes of finding anything to help them stop the war before too much damage happens. Her body freezes when she sees who has climbed to the top of the Big House.

"Nemesis!" Ethan shouts. The fighting continues.

"Nemesis!" If anything, the battle just grows louder.

"My name is Ethan Jackson! I was named after a fallen hero, Ethan Nakamura, a friend of my parents, Annabeth and Percy Jackson!"

It's then that the fighting quiets down. Piper's voice, screaming at everyone to stop fighting, hits the campers so hard they all just stare at Piper waiting for their next command.

"I remember you, Jackson," the newly appeared goddess says directly to him. "Your parents attempted to remember my son. I already told you, you cannot stop this war that has already begun."

"But I have. They stopped fighting," Ethan tells her. "You got your revenge on the legacies' parents. What more do you want? More innocent bloodshed?"

She just smiles slightly. "You know what I want Mr. Jackson. I don't do my own dirty work." Her eyes drifts to Piper.

Every camper has their eyes trained on the daughter of Aphrodite, waiting for her next words: "Kill him."

Both camps charge Ethan. He sprints towards the forest, trying to get as much distance as he can from his friends and everyone who wants to kill him. He promised Sam that he would come back alive. But he knows it's a weak promise. From the first time he met the goddess, he knew she wanted him dead. She was going to let him get killed while in battle, the same way her son died so many years ago.

He keeps running. His legs are on fire, along with his lungs. The campers are able to keep up with him easily. Apollo kids are shooting arrows at him, hoping to strike anywhere known as Ethan Luke Jackson.

Ethan gets to the edge of camp and feels a bit trapped. If he goes out of the boundaries, would anyone dare to follow him? Even if they aren't, are there monsters waiting for them? He just wants to keep everyone safe from each other and any other threats.

But would he risk his own life for that?

 _No, you promised Sam,_ he thinks to himself, even though it seems futile.

Campers are gaining and Ethan has to think on his feet. He starts to climb up a nearby tree. It might not be his smartest idea, but the camouflage from the leaves might give him enough coverage so the Apollo kids will miss. It's the best shot he has.

He gets as high as he can go before the branches threaten to snap under his weight. He leans against the tree and tries to catch his breath. He needs a clear head to deal with the angry, blood thirsty campers below him.

Ethan looks down and sees his parents run to catch up with the rest of the campers. They try to tell them to stop, but Ethan sees that they are failing miserably. Piper tries to help but campers aren't nearly as affected by her charmspeak anymore.

His eyes scans the crowd, wondering if Sam is attacking or trying to prevent everyone from attacking him. But he can't see her and that worries him. Piper is powerful and could easily convince Sam to kill him as well.

 _Thud._

He looks to his right and sees an arrow right next to his cheek. Swallowing, he starts to think of a plan B.


	16. Chapter 16

Ethan is still stuck in the tree, being shot at by the Apollo campers whose aim seems to be getting better and better. He's out of options.

He looks all around him, but going down isn't an option. There aren't any other trees close enough for him to go left or right. He's stuck. Not down, not left, not right. But that does leave one option. It's a risk. But what of what he had done in the past three days hadn't been?

Climbing up a few more branches, Ethan only stops when he hears the tree start to crack. Focusing on the water feeding the tree, Ethan pulls the liquid through the roots and the trunk, feeding more and more into the branches where he is and above him. As the branches start to be jammed with more water than they could ever naturally hold, water also starts to gather in a layer on top of each branch. Water gathers around Ethan's sneakers, and he focuses on hardening the water, on making it colder and freezing it so the branches can strengthen.

Three fast _thuds_ pierce the air around him, and Ethan dreads looking to his right. The arrows had punctured the branches, and water is slowly leaking out of the holes around the arrows. The branches are losing strength.

 _Focus, Ethan,_ he thinks. _You made a promise. And you don't break promises._

The more he thinks about his promise to Sam and his desire to see his parents and his friends again, the harder the branches get, until Ethan realizes with a start that the branches are frozen solid.

He smiles to himself and takes a few cautious steps. When the branch doesn't immediately break, he takes faster steps, determined to make it away from the Apollo campers and the Ares kids, who had started to climb the tree. He whistles loudly when his hold on the water starts to slip, the branches quickly weakening. When he gets the highest he can, he looks for an opening in the branches, takes a deep breath, and jumps.

For the first few seconds, all Ethan sees and hears is the rapidly approaching forest floor and the sound of arrows _whooshing_ past his ears. Then, his eyesight goes black and he hears the sound of wingbeats on the air. He raises his head with a grin and pats his ride on the neck.

Blackjack.

"That was a close call there," Ethan smiles, glad to be on his dad's pegasi. "I thought I was going to be a pancake."

Ethan can't hear Blackjack respond, a trait that doesn't follow legacies, but he could bet Blackjack felt the same way.

The pegasi goes higher up in the air, getting out of range of the arrows. That's when he can finally breathe easily again. But he has to think of a plan to get back down there and stop Nemesis from continuing the war.

"Circle the camp, Blackjack. Let's see if we can find any friendly faces."

Ethan scans the crowd of people, mostly still gathered around the tree, as Blackjack flies, looking for any sign of his parents, Sam, or the rest of his friends. His parents and Sam are nowhere in sight, but Ethan does see commotion down by Zeus' fist. He tells Blackjack to land around there, and feels the descent only seconds later.

When he slides off, he can see Nico di Angelo preparing to fight Nemesis. Nicole stands a few feet away from her dad, a bit scared.

"Ah, Mr. Jackson. It's nice to see that you're alive still." Nemesis glares like she was hoping that between the two camps he would have died by now. "Now don't tell me that you don't like public deaths."

"You need to stop this, now," he demands.

She smiles with a gleam in her eyes. "Why would I stop this? I was just telling Nico here about the time your father broke his promise to him. To make sure that his sister would come back from her quest, alive." She looks at Nico. "But he failed, didn't he?"

Nico looks torn between listening to the goddess and fighting her. "That was years ago."

"But did you ever really forgive him? You were distraught for over a year. Your only living family member died because of him." Nemesis smiles, maliciously. Her words come out like venom. "Don't you think Percy should feel your pain? Know what it's like to lose someone close to him?"

Nico lowers his sword a bit, like he's thinking about it.

"Dad, no! Don't listen to her," Nicole tells him. "You aren't like this."

Nico flinches. "Your aunt Bianca… You would've liked her. You're a lot like her," he says quietly.

"That's right," Nemesis coaxes. "Percy Jackson killed your sister, your only family. He needs to feel revenge for the death of Bianca."

Nico turns towards Ethan, his eyes filled with confusion and doubt, but most of all: anger. Ethan takes a step back, afraid of seeing the Ghost King in full action, knowing well what Nico could do when he was angry.

"Don't listen to her, Uncle Nico!" Ethan pleads. "She's messing with your mind. You do have family! You have people who love you! Will, Percy, Annabeth, Nicole… they need you. You can't do this, Nico, you have to fight her!"

Nico struggles for a moment more, his rage and uncertainty plain on his face. The ground begins to rumble, skeletons sticking their hands up from the grass.

"Dad!" Nicole shouts. She takes a step closer to him, her feet unsteady on the shaking ground. "Stop it! This isn't you, this is Nemesis! She's messing with your mind, you have to stop her!"

Waiting another second just a little too long for Ethan's liking, Nico's face clears and hatred settles in his eyes. He throws a hard glance, slightly full of resent, at Ethan. And then he adjusts his sword and turns toward his enemy.

Nemesis.


	17. Chapter 17

Sam is running around camp, looking for Ethan. After she watched the whole camp go after him, she had to find him. She finds her way to Zeus' Fist and sees Nico getting ready to strike Ethan. She runs towards them and see Nico adjust his grip... and attack Nemesis. She lets out a slight breath of relief but still runs towards Ethan.

She tackles him with a hug. "You're okay."

"I'm fine. But we need to get out of here or help Nico," he tells her. "I think we need to fight."

She looks at him, and then at Nico and the goddess. They're at odds with each other. How could the two of them face the goddess? They had trained in archery and swordsmanship, but they hadn't experienced fighting as much as Nico had. Nemesis is an immortal goddess. They would only get in Nico's way. Her eyes land on Nicole, who has tears in her eyes. Sam has no idea what Nicole sees, as a mortal, but it couldn't be anything good. Since being in Camp Half Blood, her sight through the Mist had gotten a little better, but there are a few things that she still couldn't see right. With the goddess messing with everyone's mind, Sam didn't even want to imagine.

"We're no help right now," Sam tells Ethan. "We have no weapons, and we have no way to fight Nemesis. Nico will be fine until we get him some back up."

Ethan looks at Nico, who faces the goddess with a dark look on his face. Then Ethan nods, yells for Nicole to go hide in the Big House, and him and Sam run in the opposite direction.

"Let's stop at the armory, and then go to find the others!" Ethan shouts. Sam nods, pacing herself next to Ethan.

When they get to the armory, almost all the weapons have been cleared out. Ethan finds an old practice sword, mostly dulled, and Sam takes a decent looking bow, but with a quiver not even half full.

As they leave, fire erupts in a circle around the spot they had left Nico and Nemesis. An eagle circles above, occasionally diving to the ground. Water and lightning push people back from the area, and they hear the faint sound of a voice projected on the wind. Sam and Ethan turn towards each other with a grin. Their parents must have found Nemesis.

They head away from the fight, letting their parents take care of the goddess. Nicole is safely out of the circle and running to the Big House, so they run around the camp, looking for their legacy friends. They find Oliver and Chase fighting a group of Romans, matching them blow for blow and still trying to convince them to lay down arms.

"Cut it out," Oliver grunts. "Stop fighting! This isn't helping anyone!"

Sam and Ethan run over to help them, but when the Romans see Ethan, their attention goes straight to him. Apparently, Nemesis' last order to them hadn't faded. The Romans rush at Ethan, but Sam steps in front of him, raising her bow. She reaches back into her quiver, and finds four arrows, perfectly numbered for the Romans in front of her. She yells at Chase and Oliver to find help, and they run away from the fight.

"Sam!" Ethan tries to pull her back, but Sam nocks the arrows.

"Legion! Stand down!" She had learned how to fight well with a bow and arrow, thanks to her dad, but his praetor influence definitely didn't help her now. The Romans gather in a circle around them, their eyes still locked on Ethan, who had put his back against Sam's.

"You have to go," he tells her. "They're only focused on me. They'll let you leave if you try. Just go, Sam. It's okay."

"No, Ethan. We fight this together. I'm not leaving you."

Sam didn't know what he was going to do until he turns to face her, mouths a quick 'sorry,' and pushes her out of the circle. And as soon as the threat from her bow was gone, the Romans attacked.

She gets knocked to the ground. She looks up to see the four Romans attacking Ethan. He's overpowered and his weapon dull. Sam rushes over to help, shooting her arrows at the armor. She doesn't want to kill any of them, just injure them enough to stop attacking. But if it comes down to them or Ethan...

"Stop!" Sam shouts, her voice cracking in a million different places. "Stand down! Stop it! Stop what you're doing! STOP!"

The Romans don't pay any attention to her. She tries her best to fight them, get them away from Ethan. But they stop attacking after a few minutes, their request from Nemesis fulfilled. Their attention turns towards her and she looks down to where Ethan lays in the middle of the field.

Bruised, bloody, and pale.


	18. Chapter 18

Sam rushes over to him, pushing past the confused Romans. She kneels next to her best friend, trying to put some pressure on the wounds.

"Ethan, you're going to be okay. You promised you wouldn't die on me." Her voice catches and tears settle in her eyes. She tries to find the major wound that's causing him to bleed so much, but there's cuts everywhere.

"It's okay, Sam," he tells her, his voice weaker than she's ever heard it. "It's all going to be okay from now on."

"No!" She shouts. "It won't be. Not without you." She finds the biggest wound, a huge gash on his side that runs across his stomach. But there isn't a way to try and stop the bleeding and not have his guts spill out.

"Sam, you'll be okay. Nemesis got her revenge." His voice is barely above a whisper and his eyes are starting to shut. "I love you, Sam."

"I love you too," she responds, her tears falling like a rainstorm to the ground.

Ethan's breath grows shorter and shorter. Sam leans her head down against his, sobs pulling their way from her chest. Her tears soak his face, mixing with his blood.

"Ethan, please. You can't go. You promised me, Ethan, you promised me!" She slips her hands underneath him, thinking about taking him to the Big House, to the Apollo cabin, to anywhere that wasn't the middle of this field.

But the second she tries to lift him, he lets out an ear-splitting scream, laced with torment. Sam puts him back down immediately, not knowing what else she could do.

"I'm sorry, Ethan. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. Maybe someone will come. You'll be okay. You have to be okay."

"It's all right, Sam," Ethan pants, his voice weak and his eyes shut from the pain. "Don't worry about me. It's okay. I love you. It's okay."

He kept stuttering, but it became too quiet for her to hear anything. She throws her head back and screams for help, needing for someone to save him. He couldn't die. But a minute passes a no one comes. Ethan's breath is almost gone.

"You're not leaving me. You won't," she sobs, trying to put some pressure on his wound.

"Samantha…" He has the tiniest smile on this face as his body goes still.

Sam screams for help, trying to get anyone to try and save him. She sees two shadowy figures in the distance run over to her. She can't even see clearly who comes over, but she knows they have to help her.

"E-Ethan…?" She hears Annabeth's voice crack.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't do anything," Sam sobs. "He pushed me away from the Romans and-! And-!" She breaks down crying over Ethan's body. She can hear Annabeth starting to sob too.

"He died a hero," Percy whispers to Annabeth, hugging her tight. Sam can hear his voice hitch, logged with tears of his own. "He always wanted to be a hero."

Sam looks at the two of them. "How could you two be okay with this?"

Annabeth looks at her with tears glossing over her eyes. "He told us about the prophecy. We knew he was going to die. And we knew he would do anything to protect you and this camp."

"Did he tell you about our promise? That he wouldn't die on me?"

"He did," Percy says. "And he told us that you would be very upset when he broke it."


	19. Chapter 19

Sam doesn't know what to say, or do, or think. Chiron had brought Ethan to the Big House so younger campers didn't see the damage. But everyone knew that Ethan was dead.

After he died, the fighting had stopped and there was a lot of confusion between everyone as to why they were fighting. Piper tried to do damage control with her charmspeak, and most people easily complied with being peaceful with each other.

Ethan was the only casualty in this war. Everyone else was only slightly injured with minor cuts and bruises, or even nothing at all. Which was great for both camps, but Sam didn't care. All she cared about was her best friend laying in the bed, cold, and pale, and still. Some Apollo kids stitched him back up but besides that, he looked the same from the field.

Nemesis had been stopped by their parents. With the seven of their powers combined, her threat wasn't difficult to deal with. Everyone had gathered outside of the Big House, but the only people inside were Sam, Annabeth, Percy, and Ethan. Or what was of him.

Percy stands next to the bed with his arms wrapped around a sobbing Annabeth. Sam sits in the corner of the front room, her arms pulled tightly around herself. They stay like that for minutes, for hours, for what could've been years, not saying a word. Sam can hear the other campers occasionally shuffling outside, respectfully staying quiet, but no one leaves. No one comes in the Big House, either, until Chiron knocks lightly and quickly comes in.

Percy turns towards the door with an angry look on his face, but stops when he sees Chiron's wide eyes.

"The gods," Chiron says, his face somber. "They… they've appeared on Half Blood Hill. And they request an audience with Sam."

Percy and Annabeth turn their attention to the corner where Sam had been, but she's already running past Chiron and up to the Hill. As she gets closer, she knows better than to look straight up at the gods, but still stands in the center of their semi-circle.

"How could you!" She yells, turning in circles to face all of them. With both the camps gathered here, she can tell the presence of both Greek and Roman gods, but doesn't care enough to focus on it. Tears start falling down her face again, the first she had shed since going to the Big House. "How could you let this happen? You spent years demanding only the best of Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, and then finally give them a life only to take their son? How could you let Nemesis start a war between the camps to settle an old, reconciled feud? After all the work that went into saving the camps, why would you just let this happen?"

"Samantha Zhang." Zeus steps forward. "There is little the gods could have done to stop this war; the fight between our Roman and Greek personas instigated chaos not just for the camps."

"You could have tried," Sam insists. "Instead you watched an innocent camper die! You have more power than that! You must've known what Nemesis was planning, you could've stopped her!"

Zeus begins to grow angrier with her harsh words, but Pluto and Mars step forward. Sam looks at her grandparents, for the first time a bit uneasy. These are the two gods she did not want to piss off.

"Zeus, we'll take care of this," Pluto tells him. Zeus, an angry look on his face, takes a step back, but still seems like he's considering smiting Sam. Pluto looks at Sam with a soft smile. "I'm sorry for your loss, granddaughter."

"You let him die," she sniffles. "You could have kept him alive. He promised me that he wouldn't die."

"Not even we can stop a prophecy from happening," Mars interjects.

"What prophecy?" She demands. "Ethan didn't tell me anything about one."

The gods look at each other before looking at their granddaughter. Pluto opens his mouth to say something, but Percy steps forward.

"Ethan told us a little about it," Percy says from behind her. "The oracle talked to him, but.. I don't remember all of it. She said that the two camps would go to war over revenge. Three heroes would feel terrible loss. A promise to be broken with a final breath. And a grandchild of the sea and wisdom to make the camps come to rest."

"But what if he's not dead," Sam suggests, switching her eyes between the gods and Percy. "Leo was given the same prophecy and he didn't die. He can't be gone, Percy, he can't be."

Percy looks like he could barely hold it together himself, but he puts a hand on Sam's shoulder. His eyes scream sadness, heartbreak, and despair, and he just shakes his head.

"There's no going back on a prophecy, Sam."

"Yes there is! He can live!" She begs. "He can…"

Pluto sighs. "I'm sorry, child. There is no way to reverse what has already been done."

"But Percy was offered immortality! And my mom came back from the dead! So did Nicole's dad! It's possible, it has to be!"

"Sammy…" Her mom comes up behind her and puts her arms around her. "Mine and Nico's situation was a bit different. And it still caused a lot of trouble with both the gods and the half-bloods. I'm so sorry, sweetie. Ethan's gone."

Sam shook her head, refusing to believe Ethan, her best friend, could be gone, stuck in the fields of Elysium forever. "No...he can't be…"

Hazel hugs her tight. "It'll be okay."


	20. Chapter 20

Sam doesn't pay much attention to the gods after that. She's too hurt to really listen to what they have to say. But she does hear the few the key points. They came to apologize for the almost destruction of the two camps, and for not acting or knowing about what Nemesis was planning. They honor Sam and Ethan as heroes, and want to give Sam a gift. But they refuse to give her the gift she wants most: Ethan. According to them, that's something not even they can do. So she tells them she'll think about it over the next week, and they complied.

That night they burn a shroud, half silver with an owl, and the other half sea green with a trident, for Ethan. Sam can't bear to be there after the immediate burning. She goes back to the legacy cabin and lays down Ethan's bed, crying. She can still smell him on his sheets and the sweatshirt she took from his clothes; it was enough to lull her to sleep.

The following day, her Uncle Nico finds her sitting on the beach, staring at the ocean in front of her. Ethan loved it there, and she knew if she was going to feel closer to him anywhere, it would be there.

"Hey, Sam," Nico greets gently. "How's it going?"

"Horrible. Ethan's dead and everyone just… accepted it. I just want him back."

"I know how you feel," Nico tells her as he sits next to her. "I was the same way when my sister, Bianca, died. I just wanted her back. I would've done anything to bring her back. She was my only family at the time."

Sam wipes away more tears. "How did you deal with it?"

"Lots of unwarranted rage at Percy, and bad decisions until I saw her, well her ghost," he tells her. "She told me to stop holding my grudge, which is a fatal flaw of Hades' kids. So I did once I saw her and was able to talk to her."

Sam looks at him, the hope in her eyes obvious. "Can you conjure Ethan's ghost? Let me talk to him one last time. Please?"

Nico lets out a breath. "I knew you were going to ask. I set up an offering site not too far from here."

Sam jumps to her feet, ready to talk to Ethan. Nico gets up and walks with her to the little site that he created, a hole with a Happy Meal next to it. She watches as her uncle chants, and ghosts start to line up around them.

"Ethan Jackson, make your presence known!" Nico commands.

Ghosts start to back up as something else pushes through. The food disappears, and a transparent form of Ethan Jackson is left standing there. He smiles as he focuses on Sam.

"Ethan!" She breaths.

"Hey Sam. You called?" He asks with a slight smile. He looks so real that Sam plunges forward, her arms spread wide to hug him. Ethan only laughs when she falls on her face, and Nico tries hard not to smile.

"I'll give y'all a little space," Nico says, then points behind him. "I'll be just over there so I can still see and control the other ghosts if I have to."

As Nico walks away, Sam turns her attention back towards Ethan. Tears gather in her eyes, but Sam wipes them away, refusing to let herself cry again.

"Hey," Ethan tries to comfort her, "It's all right, Sam. I'm sorry this had to happen. I tried to warn you, but I wasn't sure how."

Sam sniffles and smiles at him. "I know why you did it. I get that history has to repeat itself, I just wasn't ready to accept it." Sam bites her lip. "I still don't know if I am. How can I just sit back and accept never being able to talk to you or hug you again?"

"It won't be forever, Sam. Nothing could keep us apart. I'll be waiting for you. But… but I don't want you to wait for me. You deserve happiness, Sam. And even though I once wanted it to be with me, I want you to keep living your life. Don't let this kill you, too."

Sam starts to fail at keeping her tears at bay, and Ethan notices it. He changes the subject, his translucent image kneeling on the sand. Sam sits next to him, her hand resting over where his should have been. They watch the night fall and talk about everything they knew they'd never be able to. Though Nico hadn't told her, she had a feeling this would be the last time she'd see Ethan Jackson.

As it gets darker, Sam finds it harder and harder to see Ethan. She looks up to where Nico was earlier and sees him heading back down to them. Looking over at Ethan, Sam can see the finality in his eyes.

"Sam, I-"

"I forgive you," she interrupts. "I forgive you for that time when we were four and you shoved my face into my birthday cake. I forgive you for when you sabotaged my first date but you never told me why."

Ethan opens his mouth again, maybe to say something else, but Sam shushes him, suddenly desperate to get her words out.

"I forgive you for dying," she says, "and for not telling me your plan. I forgive you for leaving me here, and for making me realize we'll both be happier moving on, but never forgetting. I forgive you for everything. But mostly, I forgive you for making me love you so much."

Ethan's eyes glimmer with what Sam thinks looks like tears. His ghost begins to fade, but Sam does manage to catch the last few words he tries to tell her.

Sam sits there for a while after Ethan disappears, replaying that image in her mind, burning it there so she can remember it forever. Ethan's eyes were as clear as she remembered them, his hair swept back as always, his lips forming the last words he'd said, the last words she wanted to remember him with.

 _I love you._


	21. Chapter 21

Sam sits on the front steps of the Big House, watching the campers go by. She watches in silence, as she does every now and then since the loss of her best friend three months ago.

It's weird. At first, she couldn't even manage a step outside her cabin without wanting to crawl up and hide. Then, she manages a break for lunch, or dinner, or a campfire. And then she goes a day- a full day- without crying. And then it was a few days. And then a week. Before she knows it, it's been three months since Ethan Jackson had died to stop a war that wasn't his to fight.

She would never forget him. But it grows easier to watch the world around her, see how the gift she had requested from the gods had benefitted both camps. It was simple. She had gone the Empire State Building and walked confidently into the main gathering space; her request had been straightforward and to the point: Peace.

Peace between the camps. Between the Roman demigods and the Greek half bloods. An attempt at peace between the gods themselves, as farfetched as it seemed. She had just wanted, for once in her life and her parents', peace.

And that's what she got. Things aren't perfect, Sam knows they won't ever be, but that's what she feels everyone needs a bit of.

"Hey," Sam hears from behind her.

She looks and finds Nicole standing there. "Hey."

"Feeling better today?" Nicole sits down next to her.

"Yeah, a bit," she replies. "How are the Jacksons doing?" Sam hasn't seen Percy and Annabeth since the funeral. She could barely manage to look at them, since Percy reminds her so much of Ethan.

"Alright. They're doing their best," Nicole replies. "They're concerned about you, mostly. News from Chiron travels fast."

"I'm fine. I'm going back to New Rome tomorrow for a bit. I need some space from this place," she tells her friend.

"Sounds fair. If you need anything, IM us."

"Don't worry, I will." Sam smiles a bit.

The next day, Sam leaves Camp Half Blood. The praetors welcome her back as a hero, and honorary member on their council to help keep the peace between the two camps. It keeps her busy for a bit, and her mind wasn't wandering to Ethan for months. Only for a few moments do her thoughts go back to her best friend. But she can't always let herself think about it. She knows she needs to move forward.

She loves Ethan with everything she has, and she knows she always will, but she can feel herself opening up to others. Opening up to her friends and her family, to the camps and the half bloods in them. To the Apollo boy who had been nothing but kind to her recently.

The camps were growing closer, rebuilding the bridges they had been forced to burn down. Sam knew they would be okay.

"Sammy," her mom's voice pull her from her thoughts. Hazel looks nervous to be next to her daughter, afraid to be pushed away and afraid to see her hurt.

Sam smiles. "Hey, mom."

"I haven't seen you in a while, honey. How are you?"

"Better," she replies. "I feel better."

"That's good." Hazel offers her daughter a small smile. "I'm glad you're doing better."

"Me too," she says automatically. But she thinks about it for a moment, thinks about how far she has come and how much she has done. "Me too, mom."

After a few minutes of content silence, Hazel's tentative voice breaks through to her.

"What's next for you, Sam? Where do you go from here?"

She had been dreading this question. She knew it was coming, but she didn't want to disappoint her mom.

"I… I think I need to leave. Discover the world outside of camp." Hazel sucks in a sharp breath, but motions for Sam to continue. "Being here hurts too much. I want to come back, and I will, but I think I have to explore a little more and… live. I've never been tested like this before, and I can't just go back to the way it was before."

Hazel nods, like she was expecting Sam to say this. "I was wondering how long it would take you to tell us." She pulls her daughter to her in a hug, and Sam smiles. Hazel whistles for Arion and he appears only seconds later. "You need this, Sammy. I love you. Go."

Sam sends another small smile to her mom as she stands up. She climbs on Arion's back and takes him to her place in Camp Jupiter to pick up some extra supplies, then stops long enough to find her dad. Frank is talking animatedly with the praetors, but stops when he sees Sam across the forum. His expression goes sad for a moment before he smiles and raises a hand in a wave. Sam waves back, and spurs Arion. And then she was gone.


End file.
